All PlansAdministrativeHigh impact
New process: Referral numbers required on claims
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island·RI·Physician
Effective date
Feb 1, 2019
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
Effective immediately, all claims submitted to BCBS Rhode Island must include the Health Trio referral confirmation number in box 23 of the CMS-1500 form. This new requirement helps the Claims Department process referrals correctly when multiple referrals exist for the same provider group.
Action Required
Immediately: Billing team must update CMS-1500 claim forms to include Health Trio referral confirmation numbers in box 23 for all specialist claims. Train staff to obtain referral numbers from the Health Trio portal before claim submission. Update billing software templates and workflows to require this field. Contact Provider Relations at ProviderRelations@bcbsri.org with questions.